Looking for a little help, this weekend will be the first time out with my 1989 Eriba Troll.

I have photos of the weight plate if that helps, just don't know how to upload them

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Accepted recommendation for noseweight is between 5% and 7% of the caravans weight, which isn't necessarily the same as the van's MTPLM as the van might weigh less than it's max and also, though illegal, might weigh more. The max noseweight is the lowest limit of the car's, the towbar's and the caravan hitch. It's also accepted that the higher the noseweight (within the limits) the more comfortable the tow.

Our Volvo V70 handbook states the towing nose weight should ideally be 75kg, with a max of 90kg, and that works really well, so it's best to go with the car manufacturer's rating, surely? Other gearbox/engine combinations have other ratings, so always check. And non manufacturers' towbars may have different limits too, which should be on the towbar "plate".

I have towed our Eriba home (unladen) from the storage place (4 miles away) without balancing the load; it has clearly been a bit light on nose weight and it really pitches and tries to lift the back of the car over rough roads.

There are two different things to consider with noseweight, one is the limits and the other is the ideal weight.
There are three limits that apply, the caravan hitch limit, the towbar limit and the car manufacturer's limit. The noseweight should not exceed the lowest of those three.
The ideal noseweight is between 5% and 7% of the actual weight of the van and usually the nearer you can get to 7% the more comfortable the tow. For the actual weight of the van you either need to put it on a weighbridge loaded or use a spreadsheet with all the items on board added together. Don't forget that Touring range MIRO weights are for a very bare van and most have quite a few factory fitted options that use up a chunk of payload before you load with your own things.